Tuesday, December 10, 2013

About Nollywood – the Nigerian Movie industry

Nollywood, is
Nigeria’s version of Hollywood - the movie industry born out of the need for
Nigerians to tell their own stories in their own way using cinemas and home
videos. She became official in 1993 with the release of Nigeria’s first ever
commercially produced home video “Living in bondage” starring Kenneth Okonkwo
and a host of other Igbo stars. The movie which became a hit with local
audiences gave many other actors and actresses hope of making a meaningful
career for themselves and investors as well who saw the profit making
potential.

By 2013 - 20
years later - Nollywood is one of the most lucrative sectors of the Nigerian
entertainment industry producing movies in their hundreds and offering
employment for many hitherto unemployable folks.

Movies
produced are done mostly in English, Yoruba or Hausa depending on which region
the movie’s audience are based. The Hausa have their separate coinage –
Kallywood – and is extremely popular in Northern Nigeria where many Hausa
speaking folks watch them alongside Indian movies.

The Yoruba
movie industry on the other hand is highly prolific with many actors and
actresses actively engaged in various movies almost on a weekly basis making it
a massive movie factory. The English sector is dominated by Igbo traders who call
the shots and parade themselves as marketers with the actors and actresses
mostly from south eastern Nigeria (Igbo speaking part of Nigeria).

Piracy is
the main problem hampering the growth of Nollywood as it’s almost impossible to
produce a movie in Nigeria without the pirates having a field day at the
expense of the movie producers. Law enforcement against piracy is very weak
making it difficult to arrest and punish offenders. Also the shot callers in
the industry are traders who are only interested in the commercial success of
movies but not the quality. As a result movie production standards suffer as
quacks and inexperienced script writers, movie producers and other important
personnel are poorly chosen to make a movie happen. There’s also the problem of
poor government support since the enabling environment for the industry to
really boom has continued to elude the industry due to failure of government to
enact policies that favour it’s growth.

Achievements of Nollywood

Nollywood
has become Nigeria’s biggest brand ambassador to the world as almost all of the
black world including the Caribbean, West and Central Africa and even Africans
living in the developed world look to them for entertainment and connection
with Nigerian lifestyle.

Nollywood
has also created employment for millions of people either directly or
indirectly making many millionaires out of people who may have never had a
chance to be financially independent.

The industry
has also given some prestige to theatre performances and acting as a
profession. Nigerian Actors and actresses who prior to the 1980s were scorned
and looked down on by many as nothing but drop outs and people with little hope
for success in life now command respect locally and even globally as they are
often times viewed as role models by teeming fans.

Nollywood
has also balanced the World’s misguided views about Nigerians as our movies give
accurate description of Nigeria and its people.